• How President elect made a u-turn after public outcry
• International community on red alert

THE controversies generated as a result of the purported ban by President Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, on the television crew of the African Independent Television (AIT) has raised new concerns on the likelihood of what to expect from the in-coming government of General Buhari. According to a survey carried out by the National Daily, many Nigerians are worried that the in-coming government will be dictatorial and intolerant of divergent views reminiscent of the Decree 4 promulgated by General Buhari in 1984 when he was head of state. The fear is that the relative freedom of expression being enjoyed by Nigerians under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is going to be a thing of the past, as many brace up for a likely clampdown that will follow.


It could be recalled that AIT's crew was walked out of the Defence House during the Cuban Ambassador's visit. The episode, which is still being scrutinized by staff of media houses, right groups and followers of national issues, has been described in many circles as unfortunate, and as a sign of worse things to come if it is left unaddressed by the Nigerian populace.
Justifying the act, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, himself a journalist, said “AIT has been asked to stay aside based on security and family concerns.”
“In addition, Gen Buhari has decided that they will have to resolve some issues relating to standard and ethics. We will be talking with them to try and resolve the matter but for now the station has been asked to stay aside because like I said, there is some family and security concerns. They have been asked to step down their coverage until we resolve the matter with them on ethics and standards.”
The ban which was purportedly hinged on AIT's 'hate campaign' against APC and Buhari during the just concluded election campaigns drew the ire of many, including General Buhari's closest supporters, forcing his party to intervene by saying that the AIT has every right to cover the activities of General Buhari and that no media organization should be barred from covering his activities. The intervention of the Party was a welcome relief to many Nigerians who see it as the return of strong party that can override its president.
However, there are indications that contrary to claims by General Buhari that he did not authorize the ban, going by a contradictory statement signed by same Shehu two days later. Our source said that it was Buhari who authorized his staff not to allow AIT to cover any of his activities. But when he realized it didn't go down well with Nigerians, and also his Party he turned around to blame it on overzealous aides. It could be recalled that Buhari after the debacle instructed all his staff, including the personnel attached directly to him, to steer clear of all dealings with the media, and leave all media affairs to his official media team.
In the statement issued in Abuja three days later, Buhari aligned himself with the pronouncement of his party which had earlier expressed disagreement with the temporary barring of the African Independent Television (AIT) from covering his activities.
“I would like everyone to henceforth stay within his/her defined area of responsibility,” Buhari warned, adding that his media team should be left to continue to deal with their media colleagues in the best possible way.
A source that attended the just concluded Biennale of the Nigerian Guild of Editors which took place last week in Lagos said that many of the senior journalists he spoke to were not happy with the development. This is because the media took the butt of Decree 4 which could be described as the worst era of Nigerian journalism. Warning journalists to be on alert, the source said “we might go back to the jungle”. Also a cross section of the civil society groups have expressed their concerns over the development, stressing that General Buhari must understand that this is a democracy. Thus there is need to adapt to the change in circumstances instead of coming with the military mindset hand-over.
The civil society organizations are also up in arms over the development. A human rights group, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), condemned the alleged plan to resuscitate the anti-democratic ethos in a democratic setting, noting that General Buhari's action shows that the President-elect has hidden agenda in governance of this country for the next four years. The group however declared that General Buhari should be tutored on how to conduct the act of governance in a democratic era, believing that democracy was new in the President-elect dictionary and strange to his nature because of his military dictatorship background, stressing that the Freedom of Press is one of the ground norms of entrenching democracy in the world.
It urged genuine pro-democracy Nigerians to stand up to be ready to defend the current democratic experiment before the anti-democratic forces returned the country back to the dark days of military era where freedom of expression were withdrawn through draconian decree of 1984.
CHRSJ Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, insisted that Buhari has goofed with the decision. Noting that General Buhari lacks moral right and constitutional justification to ban any media outfit from coverage of his activities since he was elected as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the next four years.
“Nigeria people, particularly, the men of the fourth estate of the realm should be extremely careful now with this present development from Buhari, the President-Elect so as to avoid being the first victim of Buhari's government after inauguration in May 29th, 2015,” Suleiman said.
“Buhari should know that this is a democracy where there is no privacy for any political leader. When Mrs Turai Yaradua, the wife of Late President Yar'Adua, declared that she has power on her husband, Nigeria people told her that her husband, was President of Nigeria people and they ought to know the where about of their President, which shows that no privacy for General Muhammadu Buhari in a democratic setting again until he finishes his term of office in 2019.”
Comrade Sulaiman also declared that the functional media sector of a country was the basis where the genuine democracy rest on. He urged Buhari to be ready to uphold the democratic ethos and values and demonstrate strong believe in our democratic institutions by seeking any redress of his(Buhari) grievances in the court of law.
CHRSJ boss supported his position with the provision of 1999 constitution as amended in section 22 which stated that: “The press, radio, television and other agencies of mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.”
“By virtue of this provision, the constitutional powers and duties or obligation of the press are to help government realize the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy as contained in the constitution. The media or the press is also expected to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) also expressed disappointment, describing it as “unacceptable”, saying the suppression of the media under any guise portends danger for the nation's democracy. National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement said that after carefully studying the defence posited by “General Buhari's campaign spokesperson as well as the smokescreen statement by the APC to cover and mitigate his anti-media posture, the PDP and indeed all lovers of democracy are persuaded that the action was not only unjustifiable, but also unconstitutional and completely against the spirit of liberty and the rule of law in a democracy.”
He said, “The PDP as a party that has nurtured the nation's democracy in the past 16 years cannot afford to fold its hands and watch the constitutional rights, media freedom and personal liberty of Nigerians, the basic tenets of democracy being demolished.
“We ask, is this a beginning of the feared erosion of the freedom and personal liberty the media and Nigerian citizens have been enjoying in the last 16 years under the PDP led-administration? Has our dear nation finally fallen into the clutches of totalitarianism and impunity where government actions will based on egocentric decisions and impulses of individuals rather than the rule of law?
“While we assure the President-elect of our resolve to run a mature and responsible opposition based on issues, we are disturbed by this emerging development and reassure the Nigerian people that we will continue to stand with them on issues of democracy and freedom at all times.
“Perhaps, we need to remind General Buhari that part of the challenge of his new position, even as President-elect is that he has lost his private life which is now subject to public scrutiny and media interrogation, as required of the custodian of the mandate of the Nigerian people.
“The PDP is not oblivious of the background of the President-elect especially as it relates to the freedom of the media, but we had thought that having declared to be a converted democrat, he would make himself amenable to the basic principles of democracy by following the due process of the law on any circumstance.
“General Buhari may also wish to be reminded that the Nigerian constitution upon which provisions he emerged President-elect, also gave the media powers to cover activities of public office holders while at the same time providing legal avenues for redress in the event of any violation.
“If the right of the President-elect was in anyway violated by the AIT or any media house for that matter, he is expected to act within the law and seek redress in the courts otherwise one would have no option than to conclude that he is out for personal vendetta.
“The APC and the President-elect may have one or two lessons to pick from President Goodluck Jonathan, who though the most maligned and abused President in the history of our nation, even by the APC, allowed his actions to be sufficiently guided by humility, tolerance and the rule of law.”
The party called on Nigerians not to despair but remain steadfast and unite in resisting any anti-democratic tendencies intended to instill fear in them and set the stage for a dictatorial order and the erosion of their personal freedom and liberty as citizens, which they have been enjoying in the last 16 years under the PDP.
Equally, the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives described the development as “reprehensible”. A statement by the caucus noted that while it abides by the PDP's decision not to insult or denigrate the office of the President the way the APC did against President Goodluck Jonathan, it was deeply concerned about the, “anti-mass media disposition that culminated into AIT's ban, and its far reaching implications for democratic freedom under the coming Buhari Presidency.”
It said: “Except for the utterly obnoxious Decree 4, which the military dictatorship under the same General Buhari once foisted on Nigeria, nothing in the laws of the federation and international protocols to which Nigeria has subscribed, prohibits media freedom under any circumstance.”
The caucus added: “While we do not hold brief for any media organisation, well-meaning people expect that rather than begin on a wrong footing by signaling a keenness to go to war against the mass media, even before being sworn in; the President-elect and the APC should be democratic and tolerant.”
A source at one of the embassies of a very influential European nation told National Daily that what transpired did not go down well with many within the diplomatic community. He said that Nigeria must not be allowed to lose its hard won freedom of expression, stressing that any government that shows dictatorial tendencies will be resisted. A point observers said is not lost on the in-coming government of General Buhari.

http://www.nationaldailyng.com/news/latest-news/3803-buhari-vs-ait-nigerians-fear-the-return-of-decree-4

He cannot get away with it this time